Page 2 of Roam

“Yep. I have a daughter who is three and my pseudo daughter, who is turning six next month.”

“Wow, so why do you say pseudo daughter?”

“She’s really my niece, but I’ve been in her life from the start. My brother isn’t with baby mama anymore. I guess I shouldn’t say anymore. He has custody and baby mama had some visitation. When he was deployed, somehow she took over full-time, but then five months ago, she just goes nuts in a store and assaults an employee and two other patrons. She’s currently in jail. Luckily, I have paperwork giving me custody in my brother’s absence.”

Already a single mom and willing to take on her niece in a crisis. Jane’s attitude was refreshing and nothing like his ex.

“What about you?”

“Single parent too but I currently live with my parents while my new house is being built. They’re watching my three-and-three-quarter-year-old boy. He reminds me how close his birthday is all the time. They also have my twins, who are almost two. A boy and a girl.”

Roam didn’t want to go into the whole mess, and he hoped she didn’t ask. Tonight, he was just a tattoo artist at a convention who was also a single parent.

Roam caught her watching him in the mirror behind the bar. Her eyes on him and the heat he could see had him wondering if he should take a chance with her. He freaking missed the connection and the intimacy of being with a woman. With Jane, the heat and interest were making his jeans uncomfortably tight. He didn’t want to be that ass that only saw a quick time, so he refrained from adjusting.

The interest in her eyes had him wondering if maybe she’d be interested in dinner to continue their conversation. Then, after a meal getting to know her a little better, they could spend time getting to know each other in his room. No way to find out unless he asked, though he could feel the back of his neck getting sweaty with nervousness. What if she turned him down?

“Could I buy you dinner?”

Her eyes stared into his. Now that she was looking at him more closely, he could see they were dark but more a chestnut color with red tint to the brown. Her face was interesting and besides getting her into bed, he wanted to draw her. Drawing was his relaxation and his job. It had been months, though, that he’d pulled his sketchpad out at night and drawn. If it was out at night, he was working on ideas for tattoos for clients.

She exhaled, then placed her hand on his arm. He held back a shiver at her touch and wondered why she had such an effect on him. If the way he felt just sitting beside her was any indication of how they’d be in bed, then he couldn’t wait for the fireworks to start.

“Sure, we could, but you and I both know you’re offering to buy me dinner to eventually get me into bed. Why don’t we just skip the dinner and get to the fun part? A night in Texas at a convention where we throw caution to the wind. Let’s face it. As single parents, we deserve a little time to act like we don’t have any responsibilities. Are you up for that, Roam?”

Did it make him an asshole that her words had his dick steel-hard, and he couldn’t wait to get her upstairs and explore each and every inch of her tattooed skin? Direct worked for him. Oh, did it work for him.

“Okay,” he muttered, dropping some bills on the bar to cover their tab and tip, then grasped her hand. As they walked side by side, he realized how tiny she was. He had entirely too good of an imagination of what he wanted to do to her and with her. He led her to the elevator, ready to have her in his arms. The doors opened and the passengers exited. He and Jane got on the elevator, waiting for the doors to close, then he punched the floor number for his room. Turning toward Jane, he traced a finger across her jawbone before running the finger across her lower lip. He’d love to do more, but the glass elevator didn’t allow for any privacy. He grinned at the heat building in her eyes. He enjoyed her directness, and the bonus of her wanting him as much as he wanted her was a huge turn-on. He imagined lifting her high against the wall until they were flush against each other. He craved the feel of her skin against his.

He slipped his hand behind her neck and cupped her face with the other. She was about a foot shorter than his 6 ft 4 inches, so he had to lean down to reach her lips. As he neared her face, he breathed in her light scent, deciding to enjoy each and every moment of their encounter. He coaxed her lips open with the lightest touch until her mouth opened. Instead of diving in, he savored the taste and feel of her. Freaking hell didn’t adequately describe the heat racing through him.

He was completely unprepared for how perfect she was. Sex had become a stress relief when his balls hurt and he needed a release. Jane was something different. He wasn’t going to worry about the why right now. He was going full speed ahead and savoring each moment of their time together. He wasn’t a single dad to Grant, Casper and Georgia. He was a man in an elevator with a hot as fudge woman who he was going to commit to memory. When he was alone and drowning in single parenthood, he could recall this encounter.

The ding for their floor had him reluctantly pulling away. Kissing her was completely different than anything he’d ever experienced, and he wondered if the sex would be off the charts. He slid his arm around her shoulders as the doors opened and guided her down the hall to his room, hoping he didn’t meet anyone he knew. He wasn’t wasting a second of their evening together.

He opened the door and was glad he’d taken the time to make sure his room was neat. She paused in the front room of his suite. He had a spacious sitting area with a couch and chair, coffee area, bathroom and a separate bedroom with a king-size bed, which is where he wanted to see her.

He turned her back toward him. “Are you sure, Jane? I can still take you to dinner if you’re having second thoughts.”

She grinned and stepped closer, sliding her hand under his T-shirt, her fingers rubbing across his abdomen.

“I’m very sure that I want to have you and not even think about tomorrow.”

A shiver worked its way down his spine at her touch. He stared into her eyes. He wasn’t the guy who usually thought about feelings. His former wife had made sure of that, but with this woman, he wanted to be perfect for her. He wasn’t used to expecting anything special, and something about Jane told him tonight had potential.

He grasped her around her waist, his large hands almost touching, and lifted her until her legs wrapped around him.

“Well, then I guess I better make sure you can’t think.”

He followed up his words by kissing and nibbling along her ear, down her neck and across her shoulder, appreciating the soft, silken feel of her skin. He walked them to the bed and put his knee on it, lying her down. Her pink hair and colorful skin against the comforter gave him a sense of satisfaction he hadn’t felt before.

JANE SHIVERED AT THE cool comforter against her back, or maybe it was the man above her who was causing the shivers. She’d spotted him and been attracted as she walked into the bar. Tall with a strong jaw highlighted by a trimmed beard. His arms were defined and covered with tattoos. She’d sat by him because he looked fascinating, and his tattoos were works of art. When he’d offered to buy her a drink, she’d been ecstatic. As a single mom who also took care of her niece, she didn’t have much free time.

When his touch had her interested in more than a drink, she’d wondered if he felt the same. Oakley’s dad had never made her feel like Roam did.

Growing up in a rent-by-the-week trailer park with her mom and brother, she’d been focused on getting out of there and going somewhere else. She’d ignored boys in high school because they thought she was easy because of who her mother was.

She’d worked hard and apprenticed under a great tattoo artist. She’d loved working for him, and he’d even cautioned her to not fall for her baby daddy’s charms. But she’d been naïve, and he’d been a client. Three dates later, she decided she wanted to experience what everyone else talked about because she’d been a twenty-seven-year-old virgin. She was the quintessential example of “slept with a loser and got pregnant”. He’d wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

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